All the Things We Say
by brokenseraphim
Summary: Sasuke is dead, the world is saved. Four years after the war, Naruto finally returns to Konoha ready to face himself and who he's become. Kakashi only wants to help, even if he's the one who messed it all up in the first place. KakaNaru - HokageKakashi ANBUNaruto
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Sasuke is dead, the world is saved. Four years after the war, Naruto finally returns to Konoha ready to face himself and who he's become. Kakashi only wants to help-even if he's the one who messed it all up in the first place. KakaNaru

**Let's Forget All the Things That We Say**

**Prologue**

**Zero**

The war was over.

They had won.

Somehow, they, the people of this world, had made it through. Through the turbulence of a madman's ambition and the remnants of a bitter history, the shinobi had triumphed. Madara was defeated, the souls of the tailed beasts freed, the world saved, and Kakashi, once again, helped lead Obito towards his end.

Unsurprisingly, the people of the Shinobi Alliance did not emerge unscathed. The casualties were numerous and this time around, there was no Nagato to bring them miraculously back to life: the dead stayed dead, the living went on living.

Lady Tsunade was among the dead. She died after exhausting the rest of her already dwindling life energy to drag the other four Kages back from the edge of death's manor after Uchiha Madara's devastating assault. Tsunade, Konaha's Fifth Hokage, was dead, and now Hatake Kakashi stood in her place, overlooking the village from his perch among the mountains—both figuratively and literally.

The wind was cold and unforgiving from where he stood at the mountain's cliff, blowing into his clothes and through his skin. Forehead protector characteristically skewed, Kakashi observed the hustle and bustle below through one dark eye. Vaguely, he could discern the buildings already erected and the people who wove their way in and out of them.

Konoha, with the interruption of the Fourth Shinobi War, had still yet to fully achieve its former glory—it would take years and years to come to return to life as the village was used to. But even then, Kakashi had his doubts of whether or not things would ever really be the same. For better or worse, Pein and Akatsuki, Madara and the fear of world devastation, had changed something. The Sharingan-wielder hoped it was for the better.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Ah." Kakashi removed his gloved hands from his pants pockets and turned towards the voice. "Is it time already?"

The cloaked and masked ANBU shinobi nodded. "Yes. The council is waiting."

"Well, wouldn't want to make them wait, would we?" The silver-haired jounin's one eye curved into his signature smile. He took one last look at the village below, the forest beyond, the sky above, and the sun hidden behind an onslaught of gray clouds, and turned away.

The shinobi had made it through. Konoha had made it through. Kakashi had made it through. But he had to wonder if somewhere in the process, perhaps some time ago, he had left something behind.

* * *

**One**

The Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, ran his visible eye across the sheet of paper in his hand.

_Sakura-chan,_

_I miss you! And Ichiraku ramen. Mostly the ramen. _

_As usual, the world is enormous. I traveled before with Jiraiya-sensei, but somehow it never fails to surprise me. There's always something new somewhere, as long as you look hard enough. _

_I don't know how long I will be away, but please don't worry. I feel free as a bird and am more caught up with the springtime of youth than Fuzzy Eyebrows-sensei! _

_I am sorry this letter is so short. I've never been good at these type of things._

_Tell everyone I said hi,_

_Naruto_

Silently, Kakashi placed the lone sheet of paper and the envelope it arrived in back on the desk and pushed it gently across. It was swiped up by eager hands.

"What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?" He looked up at the pink-haired kunoichi. She hadn't kicked the habit of calling him sensei because he wouldn't let her. Somehow, it pleased him—in the least perverted way possible—to know that he retained more of his identity than the new wardrobe of heavy robes declared.

"Well, Sakura," he said, leaning back in his chair to survey the room, "It's definitely Naruto."

"Not that, sensei! It's obviously him, but—" Sakura's voice failed her midway. A hefty silence fell upon the room for a moment.

"But," Shikamaru continued for her, "What do we do? Should we bring him back, Hokage-sama?"

Crossing his arms, Kakashi let his eye sweep over Sakura's suddenly downcast countenance to Shikamaru's calm, steady eyes.

"No."

"But he—" it was Rock Lee this time "— Naruto-kun, what if he needs us?"

A small startle ran through the room's occupants as Kakashi suddenly stood, rising to his full height, slouch gone. The usually half-lidded eye was stern but without anger. "No, Lee. We don't know what Naruto needs. We can't even begin to guess what it is he needs. All we can do is have faith in him and wait. Whether it takes weeks, months, or years, we will wait for his return." Kakashi paused, and his eye curved up in a sudden reassuring smile that wove its way into his voice. "And we will wait for him, won't we?"

Sakura, Shikamaru, and Lee glanced at each before exchanging smiles between themselves.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Now off you go."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi's smile never wavered until the three young shinobi shuffled out the doorway and the click of the lock sliding into place echoed throughout the now empty room. Alone, Kakashi stood staring at the door for long, long moments before finally collapsing back into his chair, clothed cheek resting heavily against the palm of his right hand. The room was suddenly too quiet. It made him restless.

"Waiting, huh," he mumbled under his breath.

Those words, he knew, were meant for himself.

* * *

**Two**

It had been a year since he told Sakura and the others to wait. It had been two years since he had left.

Kakashi was getting impatient.

The other members of the Rookie Nine and Umino Iruka had each received letters from Naruto, though some more than others. Regardless, Kakashi remained letter-less. Two years, two years and not a single word from the blonde had been directed to him. It was aggravating and it was worrisome, it made Kakashi envious and more than anything, a little scared.

He knew that Naruto sending letters back to Konoha was odd in and of itself. When the boy had been traveling and training with Jiraiya he had never bothered to send back any form of correspondence, but that was then and this is now. Things were different now. Every couple months a letter from the genin would arrive somewhere in the village—the last one went to Kiba—and all of Naruto's old friends would gather like bees to honey.

"What did he say?"

"Where is he now?"

"How's he doing?"

"When's he coming back?"

Naruto, that dunce, had imprinted himself on everybody's hearts and without him, there was just a little something missing. Kakashi, most of all, felt a daunting vacancy inside of himself. It was the same emptiness that had manifested itself since his father died, since Obito died, since Rin died—he had yet to fill it up. But he had tried, Kakashi swore he had. It just hadn't worked out the way he'd wanted.

And still, there were no letters from Naruto to stop that vacancy from itching at his innards.

* * *

**Three**

Perhaps he spoke too soon.

Kakashi stared hard at the battered envelope gripped tight in gloved hand, mind mulling over a million thoughts a second.

"You may leave."

That familiar swish.

Now alone, Kakashi settled himself deep into his seat, bothersome robes bunching up around him. He turned over the envelope over and over in his hands, examining every centimeter of the seemingly harmless paper contraption. He couldn't believe it. But clear enough, _Hatake Kakashi_ was scribbled across the front in Naruto's all too familiar scrawl. Steeling himself, the Sixth Hokage stuck his finger into the open crevice of the envelope's mouth and tore it open. The envelope's contents slipped smoothly into his awaiting palm.

By the dim light of dusk drifting through the high windows, Kakashi unfolded the letter and read.

_Kakashi-sensei_,

_How are you? I hear you're doing a great job as the Sixth Hokage, but don't get too comfortable because one day I'm going to steal that title right from under you!_

_I don't know when I'll be back, but I've been having a lot of fun travelling. Don't worry too much about me. I'm fine now. _

_Naruto_

After reading it three times, Kakashi folded up the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope where it lay discarded on his lap. He ran his hands over his masked face and into his unruly hair, thought about standing up for a walk but didn't find the energy or motivation in his legs. Instead, he simply sat. Kakashi tilted his head to rest on the chair's back, eyes staring into the growing darkness of the room's ceiling as night fell dispassionately onto the world around him.

Slowly, his eyes closed and he drifted into a deep, restless slumber.

_I'm fine now_.

Kakashi couldn't bring himself to believe it.

* * *

**Four**

With a yawn that stretched his mask to a dangerous length, Kakashi skimmed absent-mindedly through his beat-up copy of _Icha Icha Tactics_. There, of course, had been no new installment in the _Icha Icha_ series since Jiraiya's death. With no other books that caught Kakashi's eye, the Sixth Hokage had settled for rereading the three old novels. But after years and years and years of the same three books over and over again, even Kakashi was beginning to get a little bored.

He idly flipped through _Icha Icha Tactics_, searching for some of the juicier passages.

"Hokage-sama."

"Yes?" Kakashi answered without looking up from his well-worn book.

"There's someone here to see you."

"Oh? Then let them in."

"Understood."

There was the tell-tale whistle of wind as the ANBU operative vanished, the tumble of footsteps in the hallway outside, the clicking of a turning doorknob, and the miscellaneous soundtrack of bodies shuffling into the Hokage's office. Kakashi took noticed of all of this but his eye never drifted from the text in front of him.

A sudden sinking feeling had pounded its way into his stomach, pulling along with it his breath and calm. He only tightened his fingers around the green book's spine and brought it closer to his face.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei."

_Naruto._

* * *

Well, hopefully this story won't become the newest addition to my arsenal of unfinished fics. It's a story I really want to run with, something I want desperately to make happen. I suppose it's less about what I want and more of what I will, though.

Thanks for reading. Support is much appreciated.

bs

P/S: The title is possibly temporary. It comes from Julia Stone's song of the same name—I was listening to this while writing. Check it out, it's a wonderful bit of music.


	2. Ch 1: The Orange Spark

**Summary: **Sasuke is dead, the world is saved. Four years after the war, Naruto finally returns to Konoha ready to face himself and who he's become. Kakashi only wants to help-even if he's the one who messed it all up in the first place. KakaNaru

**All the Things We Say**

**Chapter One: The Orange Spark**

A deep, palpable hush had fallen onto the room. They were anticipating Kakashi's reaction and he knew this. From the periphery of his vision, Kakashi caught a tuff of shockingly yellow hair, and the weight in his stomach only grew heavier. His throat felt impossibly dry, his thoughts too fleeting, his knees too weak, but Kakashi swallowed his nervousness, forced air through his lungs and stopped the shiver that threatened to run its course through his body. With a deep breath, Kakashi steeled himself.

But to the spectators' eyes this all took but an instant, and Kakashi was snapping the book shut to reveal a smiling face.

"Well, well, if isn't Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi spoke in sing-song. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Relief fell on the room in waves.

The blonde shinobi laughed, running a hand sheepishly through his messy hair—a familiar gesture. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I just kind of got caught up in things. But I'm back and that's what matters, right?"

"Right," Kakashi teased. "I'm sure a four year disappearance is no big deal at all."

But before Naruto could release yet another nervous, "Heh, heh, heh" he was interrupted by a fist digging its way into his face. The rest of the room's occupants watched in pity as the young man was sent tumbling to the floor.

"Seriously, Naruto!" Sakura fumed over the blond who could only mope up at her, cradling his poor cheek in one hand. "What were you thinking? Four years, Naruto, four years!"

"B-but, Sakura-chan!"

Kakashi watched in amusement as his two old students bickered over one another as if nothing had changed. But Hatake Kakashi knew better than to lose himself to his nostalgia—things were different now, and he would never permit himself to forget that. Sakura and Naruto were no longer the twelve-year-old brats he met so many years ago, and he was no longer their sensei. Sighing internally, the silver-haired man settled his cheek into the cradle of his palm, arms resting on the desk's wooden surface. Quietly, he surveyed the room.

All of the old Team Seven was present: Tenzo, Sai, Sakura, and finally, after many years of waiting, Naruto. Four years was, indeed, a dreadfully long time and after the war, they had all of them changed somehow. Sakura and Sai were now both leaders of their own squads and even Tenzo had decided to finally leave the strenuous position of ANBU and had begun teaching his own group of snot-nosed brats. Kakashi, of course, was the Sixth Hokage.

Naruto, though, boy, how he had changed. From his perch, Kakashi took in every minute detail of this new Naruto that had appeared before him after so many years. Kami-sama had finally taken pity on the poor boy and had given him a couple more inches to his height. His hair had grown out slightly but retained its messy layers that fell over the traditional hitae-ate that he tied, as usual, over his forehead. Naruto's cheeks had thinned out and his eyes had lost some of their old roundness. The orange-and-black jumpsuit, no doubt, had been long discarded and was now replaced with gray slacks, a black turtleneck, and an orange-black coat. Digesting all of this, Kakashi, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't fight the rising thought that more than ever, Naruto reminded him of Minato. It made him feel terribly bitter-sweet.

Kakashi was stolen from his reverie when Naruto let out a startling high-pitched yelp as Sakura raised an ominous fist to deal one more ruthless blow.

"Now, now, Sakura. Let's try not to kill Naruto after he's finally come home, yes?"

The pink-haired girl merely grumbled in reply and crossed her arms across her chest in a huff.

Tenzo, finally deciding to take action, grabbed Naruto by his collar from where the blond still lay sprawled on the ground, close to weeping. "Well," he laughed. "We should probably get going. Wouldn't want to bother our Hokage-sama any longer, now would we?." With that, the brunette proceeded to drag the limp and defeated genin across the floor and out the door. Still muttering dark things to herself, Sakura followed after.

But Sai lingered.

"Is something the matter, Sai?"

The young man looked down for a moment as if in thought, and then spoke calmly: "We're holding a welcome-back party for Naruto-kun tonight. You, of course, are invited, Kakashi-senpai."

"Thank you, Sai." Kakashi offered him a smile. "But we'll just have to see."

There was a moment of silence as Sai contemplated the words. Then he nodded in understanding, pivoted on his foot, and strolled out of the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

A click.

Then, again, Kakashi was alone.

The sudden quiet was disorienting. One moment the room was brimming with life and sound, heating up the air to a wonderfully comfortable atmosphere and then it was gone, gone, gone, and Kakashi was left to bathe in the lingering warmth. The room, he decided, was much too large. After all, in the confines of these four walls, he sat all by his lonesome. The girth of the room only served to make him feel smaller, made Kakashi much too conscious of the hovering emptiness.

In that daunting silence, Kakashi settled back into his chair. He slipped his arms from his desk and rested them heavily onto his lap.

Kakashi had waited patiently and impatiently for years to see Naruto again, and the blond seemed to disappear in an instant. It was almost all too unfair. But then again, what was Kakashi expecting? Hugs and kisses and sugar and rainbows, Naruto to kneel before him with tears running down his face as he whimpered his apologies for rudely disappearing for a damn four years? No, that wasn't it. But then again, a quick hello-and-goodbye wasn't exactly what Kakashi wanted either. Exactly what he wanted or needed from this reunion, he didn't really know. But it was something. Something. Closure, maybe.

The Sixth Hokage frowned heavily beneath the fabric of his mask. A coil of anxiety had begun to tighten inside his stomach. He would have to speak, really speak, with Naruto soon, and he knew it. They would have to sit down and talk about what happened four years ago—something Kakashi couldn't help but dread.

He took one sweeping gaze across the empty office before resting his attention on the hands that lay forgotten in his lap. Kakashi picked up his green book from where he'd thrown it onto his desk, hesitated a moment, then tucked it away into the layers of his robes. Sitting up in his seat, Kakashi picked up a pen in his right hand and dragged a stack of papers towards him with his left.

Kakashi needed to distract himself from his own rampant thoughts. Paperwork always helped.

* * *

"Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei!"

Hinata and Tenten exchanged nervous glances as they watched Sakura down her third sake bottle of the night. The pink-haired kunoichi had only just recently turned the legal age to drink but it didn't take a genius to recognize that she'd be a raging, violent drunk.

Ino laughed nervously and spoke in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. "Well, Sakura, I'm sure he's just busy. He is hokage, after all."

"Hokage, my ass!" The other female shinobi watched in horror as Sakura emphasized her fury by crushing the sake bottle in her hand to tiny pieces. "How could he not come to Naruto's welcome-back party? It's his goddamn welcome-back party, damn it! If I get my hands on him, I'll beat his ass."

"How troublesome."

The rest of the men nodded in agreement. The entirety of the Rookie Nine and Naruto's other close acquaintances were present, but somehow found themselves naturally split apart by gender. The girls sat to one side and the men had quickly migrated to the furthest corner away from them. As much as Sakura insisted it was Naruto's welcome-back party, her drunken antics had driven the males away in fear of their lives. They had long given up on trying to calm her down and left that mission to the rest of the girls, deeming it an impossible cause, not deserving of the risk of their lives and manhood.

"Ah, forget them! We're here to have fun and fun we'll have." Kiba laughed and swung one arm over Naruto's shoulder who was slurping up ramen as if his life depended on it. "Heh, Naruto, I guess even you've grown—though you're still a little midget."

"Hey!" The blond grumbled, "I resent that. I'm average height, you know, average!"

"I wonder if your tiny dick has grown, too."

Neji growled, about ready to Gentle Fist someone's ass into the next life, but Lee held him back. "Let it go, Neji, let it go." The Hyuuga relented, still seething, but allowing Lee to help him pick off the half-chewed ramen noodles that dotted his face and hair. The rest of the males only watched nonchalantly as Naruto attempted to rip Sai's face off.

"I guess Naruto hasn't changed much," Chouji said.

Shikamaru frowned. "Sai hasn't exactly changed either."

"I think it's safe to say," Shino mumbled from beneath his high collar, "that none of us have changed very much."

There was a moment of deep silence before the three men nodded solemnly, poured a cup of sake for themselves, kanpai-ed weakly, and gulped down their melancholy.

"Oh," Shikamaru drawled. "To be young."

* * *

The night was dark and cold but Kakashi could feel nearly nothing of it. The thick robes he wore kept the wind from dancing along his skin, and of course, the mask he wore muffled everything. All he could feel was the breeze tousling his hair and tickling at his fingertips.

"I'm guess I'm back here, again," Kakashi settle his eyes on the blue stone before him. "Neh, Obito."

After the war, Kakashi struggled with himself. Seeing Obito, seeing what he had become, had broken his heart all over again. The moment that mask shattered, and his beaten and scarred old friend stood before him, Kakashi's conviction had withered and the remorse that lived inside of him expanded and bloated until he had felt fit to bursting. But, of course, it did not show. Kakashi's mask, after all, muffled everything. During the battle, Kakashi had refused to lose himself; he kept his head cool and concentrated hard on what must be done. And it worked: Obito and Madara were defeated, and the world he tried so hard to protect was saved. But after the war, after Naruto left, everything that he had hidden away during the battle emerged violently, threatening to consume him all at once and pull him under.

That was the kind of man Kakashi was, a man who acted first and felt later. It was a mistake he committed more than once.

Kakashi was never the type to take pride in his misery. Many times, he'd even refuse to acknowledge it. Like so many other things, he buried his pain deep inside of himself, beneath layers of cloth and skin and muscle and bone, to a place where no one could touch—not even himself. Perhaps it was that same humility that made him only suffer more. In an effort to not feel, he only felt deeper.

The silver-haired man reached out a hand and pressed it gently against the stone's surface, tracing the inscriptions with the pads of his fingertips. The coldness of the stone sent a chill up his fingers, his knuckles, his arm, and into his chest. He shivered.

After the war, Kakashi wondered if he could return to this place, if it'd be okay to. Obito, his friend, comrade, and even hero, had betrayed him. The memory of his old teammate had been irrevocably tainted, and in a way, Kakashi felt that this place, this spot too, had been stained. It felt wrong to be here. And, for a while, he tried and did keep away. But one early morning where the day ahead seemed too daunting and the world was much too gray for his liking, Kakashi found himself here again, staring and staring, as he always did.

In that moment, Kakashi came to understand something inside of himself. He did not come here for Obito. Perhaps those days long ago, he did come here for Obito's sake, but again, those were days long ago. Now, Kakashi came here for himself. He came here to mourn, to pray, to speak, and to keep silence, to break away from himself, and to dig yet deeper into the marrow of his bones, to somehow take away the mask he could not live without. It was the sort of place that every person needs—him, especially. Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Sixth Hokage, came here so he could function.

For a long while Kakashi stood there in the dark, biding his time late into the night. At the end of the second hour, he lifted his head, and looked out into the darkness that lurked around him.

"See you."

There was another place he wanted to visit.

* * *

"Well, that went well."

Shikamaru gave a blank stare. "Hardly."

Tenten chuckled uneasily and tried to ignore the ruin that surrounded her from all sides.

Sakura, after her fifth bottle of alcohol, had finally knocked out—but not before wreaking havoc. In her drunken rage she's broken everything from the table to dishes to Kiba's little finger. Now, she lay passed out beneath the gaping hole in the wall she'd so happily punched in. Lee was forced to escort Neji home after the long haired man had received yet another spray of half-chewed noodles to the face. This was decided partially to keep the Hyuuga from 64-palming some innocent passerby and partially to keep Lee away from the alcohol altogether. Similarly, Hinata had volunteered to escort Kiba to the hospital after Sakura had, as aforementioned, snapped his finger in a pink-promise gone a thousand ways too wrong.

The only ones who had survived the battle were Tenten, Shikamaru, and Sai who sat awkwardly in the midst of their intoxicated friends. Even Shino had drunk himself to the point of mumbling sweet nothings into his rice bowl.

Shikamaru groaned, cheek in hand. "Man, Chouji's going to kill us tomorrow."

They were, after all, at Chouji's apartment. It was the only place spacious enough to accommodate all of them and far away enough from the village to keep any annoyed neighbors from assaulting them, but now the place was littered with broken furniture, broken silverware, and broken people. Chouji probably wasn't going to be happy about this.

"That's considering if he even remembers anything." Tenten snorted. "I mean, wasn't he the first one to pass out anyway? After nine bottles of sake and thirteen plates of Tonkatsu, I'd be surprised if he's still even alive."

Shikamaru laughed softly to himself. "You've got a point."

"Man," Tenten groaned. "It's so weird, that we're so old now and can drink and everything. I mean, I remember when we first met during that Chuunin exam and we were all a bunch of brats. Naruto especially. Who woulda imagined that Naruto, that loud, obnoxious loser would become the world's hero?" Her voice hushed. "He really is something."

The other two said nothing, but she knew they agreed.

For a while, there was quiet as the three poured cups of sake for each other and were all lost in deep, meaningful thought.

"Too bad his dick isn't much."

Tenten spluttered into her cup, alcohol burning up her nose. "Sai!"

Shikamaru groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead.

The pale young man only shrugged and continued to sip contemplatively at his cup.

"Damn it, Sai, it's because you keep saying things like that, that Naruto's always gets so damn angry at you." Tenten pointed an accusing finger at Sai's cheek where a red welt rose from where the blonde had managed to claw him a good one. "I'm surprised he hasn't done more than just scratch you. One day you're really gonna get it from him, you know!"

"Seriously," Shikamaru mumbled. Then paused. "Wait."

"What," Tenten snapped.

"Where _is_ Naruto?

* * *

"Red really isn't your color."

"You think so?" Kakashi turned and smiled at the approaching genin. "I think it's alright. Though I'll admit that it'd probably suit you better."

Naruto grinned that impossibly wide grin that only he could. The blonde sauntered over and heaved himself up a log into a sitting position. "You weren't at my party."

"Yeah, about that." Kakashi laughed sheepishly with his hand in his hair, mimicking the blonde's position from earlier that day. "I guess I just got caught up in my work." Which, actually, wasn't entirely a lie. Kakashi moved closer to casually lean against the log next to Naruto's. "But how was it? Your welcome-back party?"

"Cuh-ra-zee." Naruto whistled out the word and swung his legs animatedly from his wooden perch. "Who woulda known that a little alcohol would drive everyone so nuts? I was never much for drinking when I was travelling but now I see why it's against the shinobi rules. It's dangerous as hell."

Kakashi chuckled good-naturedly and glanced at the blonde from the corner of his eye. Just as he'd expected, a pink tinge had spread across Naruto's cheek. If anything, Kakashi thought, alcohol sobered up the blonde. Even if it was just a little.

Naruto stuffed his hands into his lap and strained his neck, trying to stare up at the night sky. They were both at the old training grounds where Team Seven used to rendezvous and practice. It was a familiar place and a good kind of quiet.

"So," Kakashi began. "How'd you know I'd be here?"

"I didn't come here for you."

Surprised, the silver-haired man gazed up at the blonde.

"Oh? Then why are you here?"

Naruto shrugged, brows furrowed deep in thought. "I don't know. I guess I just…Being in that room with everybody, I guess I just got nostalgic. I couldn't help myself from remembering how it was back in the day when we were just kids. I started thinking about how it used to be, about us, about Team Seven." He looked down at Kakashi. "About Sasuke."

Kakashi suddenly felt sick.

He tore his gaze away from those blue eyes, an abrupt nausea burning in his stomach. He had known that it'd happen eventually, it was bound to happen, this had to happen—he'd told himself this a thousand times. And yet, yet Kakashi hadn't expected it to happen all so soon, and for Naruto, of all people, to be the one who brought it up. He wasn't prepared for this, not yet. In a split second, all the sensations from that day four years ago came rushing back into him: the desperation, the tightness of his lungs, the throbbing in his chest, the pain in his left eye.

"Naruto, I—"

"I'm sorry, you know. For being gone for so long. I'd told myself it'd only be a year but before I knew it…" The genin laughed and scratched his head in that common gesture. "I guess I just wasn't ready to go home yet. Sorry it took so long."

Kakashi offered him a weak smile, the tension in his muscles withering away. "You don't have to apologize, Naruto. I understand, we all do."

"Yup. I got some good friends here." Naruto gazed back up at the sky, a small smile still playing along his lips. "I missed you guys, but even then, somehow I just couldn't bring myself to come back. Because, you know, as much as I wanted to see all of you, there were so many other different people out there, millions and millions of them. And when I was travelling I met a lot of those people, miserable people, but happy people too. People who were so different and yet, in a way, more like me than I could have imagined. It made me realize how small I was in the whole scope of the world and that maybe, that isn't a bad thing. I realized that I don't know enough, that what I know is just this tiny, tiny amount compared to everything in the universe. And maybe that's why I just kept going and going—because every time I turned a corner there was something new that I'd never seen or heard of before." Naruto threw his hands up in the air. "And I want to keep learning and learning and learning everything that there is." He grinned down at Kakashi. "You know, so I can become a good hokage."

"Naruto," Kakashi spoke softly. "You know that any time you ask, I will step down for you."

"Nah." Naruto shook his head vigorously. "I'll admit that being hokage doesn't really suit you, Kakashi-sensei, but I know that, right now, you'd do a way better job than I ever could. I'm just not ready yet. Not yet. There's just too much that I don't know."

The two were quiet for a moment.

"So, then," Kakashi spoke tentatively. "What do you plan to do now?"

"Honestly? I'm not really sure."

There was a small thump as Naruto leapt off the log and onto his feet. Kakashi watched him brush off his pants and wander around the grass, circling around the area where they stood. Tonight was a full moon; its dim white light illuminated the ground weakly.

"Say, Kakashi-sensei."

"Hm?"

"Why don't you make me an ANBU?"

Kakashi stared at him in disbelief. "ANBU? Naruto I don't think—"

"I'm suited for it?"

"Well, yes."

"I thought you'd say that." The blonde stopped in front of him and Kakashi bent his head down slightly to meet his blue eyes. Even with the extra couple inches, Kakashi towered over him. "And you know what? I think so too."

"Then, why?"

"Because of that. Because I'm not suited for it," Naruto said, his eyes serious, brows arched in the determined look Kakashi had seen so many times before then. "I want to do this. There're so many things that I don't know, and this is one of them. I want to know how it feels, how it is. So that when I do become Hokage, I can understand—I will understand…maybe." Then that Naruto, that twenty-year old Naruto was smiling up at him. "I mean you can't have a light without a little darkness, right?

The taller man remained silent.

"Look, Kakashi-sensei. I just. I—You need to trust me on this. I mean, after all," Naruto looked up at him, then away, then back. "I trust, you, you know?"

Kakashi felt old, older than ever before. Naruto's hand was on his shoulder. Somehow, it felt unbearably warm, unbearably heavy. It was so much bigger than he remembered it.

"I will think about it."

And then that hand was gone. And Naruto was dancing around him, screaming and hollering and cheering, as if Kakashi had just agreed to treat him to Ichiraku Ramen. The blonde went on for a good couple of minutes before standing back in front of Kakashi, out of breath but still grinning, grinning, grinning like a mad man.

"You said it, Kakashi-sensei! Remember you said it!"

The Sixth Hokage nodded.

Naruto laughed raucously, obviously convinced he'd won, and punched the air in victory. "Well, I guess I better head to Chouji's. They probably noticed I'm gone by now. Not to mention they probably need help dragging all those drunk people home." He turned away and started walking in the direction from which he appeared. "See ya, Kakashi-sensei! And remember what you said!"

Kakashi said nothing as Naruto walked away. He could bring himself to do nothing. So, just as he had spent the last 34 years of his life, Kakashi remained silent, unable to speak the words he wanted to say the most. He couldn't say them to Obito, not the first time and not the second, and now, he could barely even breathe beside Naruto.

Things like I'm sorry, I missed you, or Thank you.

In that lonesome darkness, Kakashi stood on weak legs and weak knees. He turned, and walked in the opposite direction from which Naruto's bright silhouette had been swallowed up by the night.

He, after all, never could get rid of that mask.

* * *

So I actually had finished writing Chapter One two weeks ago, but my laptop's hard drive crashed and I ended up losing the entirety of my computer's memory. Including that chapter. Thus, this is actually my rewritten version of Chapter One and I got to say, although I'm happy I did end up rewriting it, I have my doubts in how it compares to the original file that I lost. This one, I'm afraid, is a poor imitation and is not as good as the original. Damn, I'm depressing myself just thinking about it. OTL

Nevertheless, thanks for reading. Encouragement, support, and comments are appreciated and needed now more than ever.

Thanks,

bs


	3. Ch 2: The Avenger

**Summary: **Sasuke is dead, the world is saved. Four years after the war, Naruto finally returns to Konoha ready to face himself and who he's become. Kakashi only wants to help-even if he's the one who messed it all up in the first place. KakaNaru

**All the Things We Say**

**Chapter Two: The Avenger**

"_Where is he?" Kakashi growled. He grabbed Sakura by her shoulders, fingers digging viciously into her skin. "Where is Naruto?"_

_The pink haired girl said nothing but the tears were finally beginning to fall. Even with clenches fists and gritted teeth, she could not stop them. Under different circumstances, Kakashi would have felt ashamed for his behavior but no matter how much Kakashi or Sakura wished it was so, things weren't different. _

_Naruto was gone and this time, he might not come back._

_A sudden thundering boom ripped through the air and Kakashi barely caught the direction from which a white flash had torn the sky and disappeared in an instant. _

_Immediately, Kakashi released Sakura and was sprinting as fast as his body would allow him to in the direction of the explosion. The seconds felt like hours and Kakashi cursed the mortal limits of his legs, wishing they could somehow carry him faster. But mortal was all he was and never before had Kakashi been so painfully aware of it. _

_As he tore his way through the trees, he could feel his stomach rising angrily into his throat. His chest ached and through the mask that stretched its way so persistently across his face, Kakashi could hardly breathe. _

_Hatake Kakashi was afraid, more so than he'd ever been before._

_But despite it all, despite the livid red haze that threatened to fall over his mind's eye, Kakashi could remember it clearly. So clearly, it scared him. _

_**When you and I fight**_

_The tell-tale sounds of combat were louder now: Kakashi was close and he knew this. But not ounce of relief or calm settled into his bones. If anything, it drove him harder. He had to make it, had to make it in time. He had to. _

_The trees that surrounded him were beginning to thin and yards ahead, Kakashi could make out the silhouette of running __water__. A river, a waterfall. Two statues. And between them, two people charging at one another with all the finality of their hearts. _

_**We will both die**_

_But no. No. Kakashi would not allow this to happen. Not this time, not again. Never again._

_**Kamui.**_

* * *

Kakashi woke with a start.

With his chest still heaving angrily, Kakashi watched the ceiling in disdain. Calming himself, the Sixth Hokage steadied his breathing and after long moments, sat up, allowing the blankets previously drawn to his chest to fall haphazardly into his lap. With the vague memory of his dream still lingering in the background of his consciousness, Kakashi brought one hand up to touch his left eye and the scar that cut through it. On mornings like these, it ached profusely.

"Sweet dreams, princess?"

Frowning into his palm, Kakashi removed his hand from his face and lifted one haggard eye to address his impromptu visitor. "Not exactly how I'd describe it, but thanks for the concern."

"Concern's my middle name, sweetheart."

With the weak, dull, gray light of the early morning seeping in through his window, Kakashi could barely make out the figure standing at the foot of his bed. But he knew all too well that this mystery person was grinning.

"Of course it is. Though I must say, I do wish," Kakashi abruptly yawned. "That you wouldn't pop into my room so unexpectedly like this."

There was a miniscule flicker of light-and-shadow. His uninvited guest had taken one step forward and was now standing directly in the soft stream of pale sunlight. An all too familiar silhouette of black clothing, gray armor, and a leering Coyote mask presented itself to the tired man.

The female ANBU operative shrugged. "Sorry, Captain, it's in the job description."

"Right, right." Kakashi indulged himself in another yawn, not bothering to make his way out of bed. Instead, he simply ran one hand through his messy bed-hair as his other scratched aimlessly at his chest.

"_So,_" Coyote stretched out the word suggestively.

"So?" Kakashi threw back.

"_So,_" she continued, "I heard Uzumaki Naruto's back in town. I bet that's got you revved up."

"I'm not sure 'revved up' are the right words."

The ANBU operative who had been assigned as one of the Hokage's personal bodyguards drifted forward, grabbed the chair that sat next to Kakashi's bedside and plopped down onto it, straddling it backwards. "Then what are the rights words, Hokage-sama? Excited? Elated? Ecstatic?" She paused for a moment. "Nervous?"

For a moment Kakashi did not answer. Wearily, he looked down at the pool of blankets in his lap before shifting his gaze towards the open window through which, no doubt, Coyote had so abruptly entered.

Like him, Coyote was old and aging. She was one of the few ANBU besides Tenzo who witnessed, firsthand, the days when Kakashi himself was one of them. Coyote also, despite the mischievous and roguish behavior that her mask suggested, had a dangerously keen eye for reading people. When asked how, she attributed the talent to her long tenure. "When you're in the business of wearing masks for fifteen years," Coyote once said, "You get good at seeing through them."

"That kid, he—" Kakashi caught himself. He was no kid, not anymore. "Naruto, he told me he wants to become an ANBU."

To the Hokage's surprise no loud, raucous, disbelieving laughter filled the room as he had expected. Admittedly, Kakashi had anticipated Coyote to guffaw at the very idea of someone as lively and cheerful as Naruto joining an organization as morbid and merciless as ANBU. Curious, Kakashi tore his gaze from the open window to look at the shinobi who had come through it. From behind a painted, porcelain mask, Coyote only eyed him steadily.

"And you don't think he should."

Kakashi frowned. It had been more of a statement than a question. "Well," he started. "Do you?"

"It's not up to me, is it?"

"No. No, it isn't. But you certainly don't help, either." Kakashi brought his right hand to hold his shoulder where the all-too-familiar tattoo was etched into his skin for a second before allowing his hand to fall. "ANBU is no place for a person like him."

"A person like him?"

"Naruto he's just…" Kakashi struggled to find the right words to describe his old student. "He's bright. Like…sunlight." Suddenly, Naruto's words from the night before came flowing back into Kakashi's mind and without realizing it, he muttered under his breath, "You can't have a little light without a little darkness."

A resounding quiet followed the echo of his whisper as Kakashi mulled over the events of last night. From her seat, Coyote simply watched him, leaving him to his contemplation. Their silence, however, was interrupted as another figure appeared inside the room. But this one wore a white cloak over his uniform—announcing his position as squad captain—and a mask resembling an Ox.

"Hokage-sama." The large man bowed to Kakashi, who nodded back, before addressing the other occupant in the room. "Coyote, resume your position."

Sighing, Coyote gave the large man a mock-salute. "Yes, yes. Roger that," she answered, and Ox disappeared just as quickly and silently as he'd arrived.

Coyote stood and, much to Kakashi's chagrin, left the chair askew where she had pushed it closer to the bed. She walked to the window, ready to leap out and disappear as her kind was so prone to doing, but stopped in mid-crouch.

"I say this as a friend and not your subordinate and not your soldier. " She turned around and looked at him through the narrow peepholes of her mask. "Kakashi, you of all people should understand…"

And then she was gone, and Kakashi was left alone in his bedroom, back still hunched, hands still absently lying in his lap, with her words echoing in his mind. He looked at his left hand before raising it to cradle his left eye. The memories from that day four years ago began to surge forward into the forefront of his consciousness and with it, melded a mantra of the words just spoken.

"The people you can't save, they haunt you."

* * *

Naruto grumbled beneath his breath, hands deep in his pockets, feet kicking at miscellany candy wrappers and pebbles as he roamed aimlessly through the streets of Konoha.

He'd returned four days ago and already, the frantic energy surrounding his homecoming had dulled to a static gray. The morning following his first night back was dreary and sluggish, with a majority of his welcome-back party's attendees nursing wounds both physical and psychological. That day had then continued to include Naruto being Dynamic Entried into a brick wall by an overly excited Might Guy and the third day had been spent recuperating in the hospital after said Dynamic Entry.

And now, at day four, the blonde was unbearably restless. Many of his friends had obtained the title of jounin during his four year absence and were currently off on missions away from the village, leaving poor Naruto to fend for himself against the throes of boredom.

And Naruto never dealt well with boredom. Having nothing to do on his hands always made the twenty-year old man think too hard in too many circles, too often about things that didn't really matter. At the moment, he could focus on nothing but his predicament as a shinobi.

At twenty-years old, with the experience of saving the world (on several occasions) tucked beneath his belt, Uzumaki Naruto was still a genin. A low-ranked, D-ranked, genin. All of his friends had long become jounin, once more leaving poor Naruto behind in the rungs of official status—not that it wasn't anyone's fault but his own. But Naruto had to wonder if title really mattered, if the positions of genin, chuunin, and jounin, were really anything more than matters of formality, because if they were, he was officially screwed.

Here was Uzumaki Naruto, a sad, little, non-authoritative genin—here was Uzumaki Naruto asking to be an ANBU. And if status really did matter, Naruto stood no chance.

"Ah, damn it!" Naruto screamed sharply into the air, hands digging into his scalp in frustration. "I can't take this!"

"Naruto-nii-chan!"

At the sound of his name, the blonde stopped clawing at his face in aggravation. Peeking between his fingers, Naruto blinked owlishly at the person in front of him. His blue eyes took in a tall, lanky figure; it was a young man with a messy tuff of brown hair sprouting out of a Konoha hitae-ate and a standard green chuunin vest.

Mind still blank, Naruto yelped (manly-like) when the stranger had suddenly taken it upon himself to rush forth and squeeze all the breath out of the small blonde in a violent bear hug.

"Hey! What the—"

"Naruto-nii-chan," the man repeated excitedly before finally putting the ruffled blonde down. "You're finally back!"

The moment his feet graciously touched the ground again, Naruto brought it upon himself to scurry away from the taller person, putting a good few yards between them. With his arms wrapped around himself defensively and caressing his poor, abused ribs, Naruto glared at the taller shinobi. Through squinted eyes and dramatically pursed lips, the blonde examined him closely. "Naruto…_nii-chan_?" He caught the sight of a thin blue scarf draped over the other male's shoulders and it hit him. "Konohamaru?"

The brown-haired man—or teen, rather—grinned widely at him and lo, and behold, there was the signature chipped-tooth smile.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled, surprised partially at the fact that it was in fact the young Sarutobi and partially at the fact that his once pipsqueak-student towered inches over him. It made him feel just a bit bitter. "Holy—how have ya been?"

The brunette grinned down at him. "I've been good and—" His grin suddenly grew mischievous "—I've been practicing."

Naruto blinked, puzzled for a moment, before the words finally clicked and an impish smirk spread across his own eager face. "Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?"

"You bet."

"Well then," the older shinobi shifted his feet apart, stretched his arms, and brought his hands together, smirk still unmoving from his face. "Let's see what ya got."

"Okay," Konohamaru teased and mimicked Naruto's stance. "You asked for it. Here I go!"

"Sexy-no-juts—"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The sudden interruption nearly had Naruto biting his tongue as the last syllable of his (genius) technique fumbled soundlessly out of his mouth. Mystified and somewhat irked, the blonde frowned at the sudden wall that had appeared in front of him, obstructing his view of Konohamaru and was so close it was grazing his outstretched fingers. After a couple seconds, the genin realized that the blackness in front of him was, in fact, cloth, which, in fact, was a cloak, and was, most in fact, the cloak of a masked ANBU operative leering down at him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the man repeated.

"Naruto nii-chan!" Konohamaru was by his side now, dragging Naruto a step away from the intruder.

"Yeah. That's me." the blonde replied, looking somewhat defiantly at the cloaked figure.

"Indeed." The masked ninja continued, unfazed by the suspicious attitudes of the two in front of him. Ignoring Konohamaru who had snapped his hand to his weapons pouch in defense, the man with the feline mask peered at Naruto, seemingly eyeing him from head to toe before speaking. "Uzumaki Naruto, your presence is required at the Hokage's Tower."

"Says who," Konohamaru jumped in.

"_Say_s," One could almost see the man rolling his eyes behind his mask, "The hokage."

"The hokage…Kakashi-sensei, huh," Naruto mumbled to himself before nodding fiercely at the figure in front of him. "I got it. Tell him I'm on my way."

"What. What? What?" Konohamaru frowned. "What's going on?" When his old teacher didn't offer him an answer the chuunin turned his head to the man in the feline mask but, by then, he had already disappeared.

"It's nothing, Konohamaru. I'll see you around, kay?"

And before the adolescent could protest, Naruto was already occupying the nearest rooftop, running and leaping in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Naruto wasn't happy with the situation. He had arrived as fast as humanly possible to the rebuilt Hokage Tower that outstretched from the middle of the village only to be greeted by a disappointingly empty office. Flabbergasted and just a little irritated, Naruto stood in the middle of the office glaring hotly at the empty seat in front of him as if his sheer power of will could make Kakashi appear in a puff of smoke. But no such thing happened and after a good few minutes of nothing and no one, Naruto resigned to leave.

Before the blonde could take a step back, however, a kunai was in his hand and he was facing three people robed in cloaks and masks.

"You're rusty," one said. For some reason, he sounded vaguely familiar.

Naruto glared at the one who spoke and slipped the kunai back into his leg pouch. "No," he retorted. "You're just rude."

One of them, a different one, laughed—a female, Naruto recognized. "He's funny," she said.

This one, he examined was shorter and smaller in stature than the other two whom he assumed were both males. She wore a mask of an animal he could not recognize but seemed to be the more amiable of the bunch. Her cloak was black and heavy on her, but, he noticed, it seemed to bulge oddly at her hip. The one who had spoken first was, much to Naruto's annoyance, taller than him and wore a mask that resembled some sort of bird. The last member of the group who had yet to speak was large, huge even. He towered over the rest of them and looked intimidating bulky under his white cloak which Naruto knew meant he was the captain of the squad. His mask Naruto could at least recognize: an Ox.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the lady spoke.

"Yeah?"

"The three of us have come on the behalf of the Hokage to congratulate you."

"Oh, yeah?" Naruto fought the grin that threatened to consume his face and tried his best to look irked. "And where is he, Kakashi-sensei? Why isn't he here?"

There was a moment of silence as they deliberated the question and the female looked at her squad captain for a long few seconds before he nodded to her and she nodded back. He may have been captain, Naruto realized, but he was a man of few words—as in exceptionally few—and despite being the subordinate, the female member was his voice-box of sorts.

"The Sixth Hokage is busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"That's classified."

Naruto frowned deeply at her, frustrated and a little hurt. He knew, for sure now, that Kakashi was avoiding him.

"But rejoice, little blondie!" The woman's arms suddenly emerged from under her coat in what Naruto could only guess was a gesture of good will and affability. "Ox, Crane, and I, Coyote, are messengers of good news so don't let a little party pooper get in the way of what should be a celebration!" She paused for a moment. "Well, there's bad news too, but that's a-okay!"

Naruto frowned yet deeper, this time simply a little off-put by the sudden change in demeanor. He squinted at her and the others suspiciously before mumbling out: "Bad news first."

"Oh. Well," she started. "You're in ANBU."

He blinked, confused. "That's the bad news?"

"Well, yeah."

"How is that supposed to be bad news?"

" 'Cuz it's a crappy job," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Bad hours," Crane piped in.

"Right," Naruto drawled, still somewhat baffled. "And the good news?"

Coyote thrust a hand out of her cloak and pointed to herself with a thumb. "You're in our squad, the mighty Squad Four!"

"We're…fun," Crane piped in, but he sounded somehow forced.

"That's right, Uzumaki Naruto, you are one lucky bastard," Coyote chirped. "Well, that's it. We'll see your cute little tush around."

"Coyote." Naruto startled a little and looked at the large man who, after a long, odd conversation, had finally spoken. But he said no more. Instead Ox gazed down heavily at the shorter woman with such intensity even Naruto felt a bit burdened.

"Oh…right." Coyote chuckled nervously after the stare down. "There's one more thing, Naruto. Crane, if you would."

The slim man's cloak rustled slightly before the folds parted and a pale, armor-clad arm was outstretched, offering a bundle of clothes to Naruto.

Cautiously, the blonde took it from him and held the bundle in front of him, puzzled. "What is this?"

Crane's arm disappeared once more behind his cloak, and in a voice that seemed almost amused, said, "It's a jounin uniform."

Naruto's head snapped up, bright blue eyes impossibly wide. "A jounin…uniform?"

"Yup," Coyote answered. "The Hokage has decided to name you a special jounin, since, after all, he can hardly have a little genin like yourself in ANBU without someone thinking something's up. So," She said grandly. "Uzumaki Naruto, welcome to jounin-hood."

This time, Naruto couldn't stop the grin from taking over his face and he laughed because he couldn't really help it and because he didn't know what else to do. He fingered the fabric roughly through the gray cloth bag that enclosed it, trying to make out the tell-tale touch of the vest's high collar, grinning all the while.

The three ANBU watched him, obviously pleased.

"Congrats!"

"Congratulations."

"Thanks," Naruto replied breathlessly, a little embarrassed to be seen so worked-up over a set of clothes. "So, um, where's my, you know, ANBU one?"

"Your ANBU what," Crane retorted dryly.

"You know," Naruto egged on, an irresistible spark in his eyes. "My ANBU uniform."

Coyote and Crane exchanged glances before the shorter one spoke. "That, little one, comes a bit later."

"Oh." A short whiff of excitement whistled out of the blonde, but he was still smiling slightly. "Okay."

"Well, Naruto," Coyote, once again spoke for the group, "I'm afraid that's all for today. When you are needed for your first assignment, we'll be in contact again. So, keep tight, little one."

"Wait!" Naruto called out to them. "Tell Kakashi-sensei I said thank you!"

But there was no answer. They were already gone.

* * *

"That was rude of you."

"Oh?" Kakashi gave a curious glance at the giant of a man behind him. "I expected a lecture from Yameru, but not from you, Daichi."

"She was going to come but I had Neji hold her back. She was planning to kill you."

The silver-haired man chuckled into his mask. "Sounds like her. Well, thanks for saving my life. Seems like I'm in your debt all over again."

There was no answer and Kakashi grimaced. The ox of a man didn't seem to find the situation very funny at all.

"You're really angry with me, aren't you?"

"I am."

Kakashi rubbed one sore shoulder as he swept his eyes over the grassy meadow where they stood, not knowing what to say. In such a beautiful place two old, bantering men seemed grotesquely out of place.

"He's a good kid," The other man said sternly. "You shouldn't test him."

Kakashi spoke quietly but firmly. "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't trying to?"

A deep, uncomfortable silence fell on the two in opposition. The cloaked man took in the way Kakashi seemed to be enamored by their surroundings, his one eye fixated on the two bundles of flowers lying peacefully near an old oak tree. Watching the hokage so entranced made a tangle of discomfort writhe inside his stomach—it was unsettling.

Frowning behind his porcelain mask, the taller man turned away from the image of Kakashi buried profoundly deep in his solitude, an image not unlike his own. "Don't stay here long, Hokage-sama. It's dangerous." And in a flash, he disappeared.

"Dangerous, huh?"

Finally alone again, Kakashi allowed himself to rest in the resulting silence, letting the pale sunlight and tranquility of the place dig deep into him. It had been a while since he had come to this place but, as usual, it was so still and so hushed it was almost ethereal.

Without really thinking, he slowly made his way forward to the small mounds that rested on the far side of the hidden meadow, half-sitting in sunlight and shadow. Kakashi looked down thoughtlessly at the two knolls each adorned with a small bundle of white and yellow camellias. A slight smile flitted across his lips. Ox was right: this place was dangerous.

After Naruto had disappeared, Kakashi had brought it upon himself to make a monument, no matter how diminutive, for the Uchiha brothers. They deserved to rest, Kakashi had thought. Perhaps it was just his way of making amends.

The meadow where he now stood was on the very outskirts of Konoha, near where the Uchiha compound had once stood before it was closed off and abandoned to the wilderness—a ghost town left to the tyranny of time and memory. Maybe he was being romantic, but when Kakashi had been gathering dirt into his hands to mold these small graves, he couldn't help but think, "They've finally come home."

It was a bittersweet affair, really.

In the eyes of the villagers and an overwhelming majority of the shinobi, Itachi was still a traitor and a murderer, and his younger brother was no different. They were not welcome there, not in life and not in death. So instead, Kakashi tried his best to make due and give them the peace they deserved.

Very few people knew of this place. There was himself, his old team—Sakura, Sai, and Tenzo—and ANBU Squad Four who were his hand-picked guardians—Yameru, Daichi, Neji…and now, Naruto.

_Naruto._ Kakashi sighed into himself, it was a passage of air that seemed to ghost through his chest and into the pit of his stomach, making him feel heavy.

Rude, Ox had called it. Yes, it was, Kakashi had to admit, it was rude among other things for him to flutter around his former student's existence like some phantom presence. But the Sixth Hokage swore that he would see him soon. In fact, he had come here in the first place to solidify his will and confidence into something more tangible than it was. He needed to remind himself of what he was frightened of and looking at these graves made him realize the reality of his circumstances.

Yes, Kakashi would confront Naruto. Yes, he would speak to him. Yes, he would apologize. Yes, he would try his best to make amends no matter how impossible the endeavor seemed.

After all, Kakashi had committed an indelible injustice to Uzumaki Naruto.

The lone man brought his hand up once more to cradle his hidden eye that seemed to burn incessantly through its fabric shield.

Yes.

Yes, four years ago, Kakashi had forced Naruto to kill Sasuke.

But worse, Kakashi had forced Naruto to live on.

After all,

_**The people you can't save, they haunt you.**_

* * *

Whew, so this chapter took me much longer than I expected, but hell, it's here and I'm head-over-heels delighted. I had some trouble writing out Naruto because I feel like he's a character that heavily relies on the visual medium. He's exuberant and his energy, I find, is nigh impossible to capture in nothing but text. Nevertheless, I tried my best to keep him bright and mischievous. Cross my fingers that I did him justice. And finally! The central plot twist is somewhat-ish revealed!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and drop a review,

bs

P/S: White and yellow camellias in Hana-kotoba, the Japanese flower language, mean "waiting" and "longing" respectively. I thought it'd be fitting for Itachi and Sasuke.

P/P/S: I had planned for Neji's participation before certain events happened…and I just decided to fuck it and go on with the original plan because I just can't deal with this shit *sob*


End file.
